HILLARY Tafadzwa Gregory Indi, leader of Elysium Magna Dance Theatre group, says their yet-to-be televised production, Shinga Ndozvinoita Imba, intends to provoke conversation against gender-based violence (GBV).
Indi said GBV has left the victims with scars and some die in silence as they endure abuse due to societal misconceptions that tolerate violence to a certain extent.
“Shinga Ndozvinoita Imba is going to be screened during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The theatre play portrays the plight of women in abusive relationships when a husband is no longer interested in his marital relationship because he has found someone else.
"The production is shown in highly charged dance sequences and acting accompanied and the story is told through melodious music and orations. The production is meant for both the television and stage productions," Indi told NewsDay Life & Style.
“When one complains that she is not happy in marriage, the society or relatives must see to it that all the problems associated with the discomforts have been corrected. We must never encourage people to endure violence or any form of verbal sayings as attested in the cultural beliefs.
“Shinga Ndozvinoita Imba, to be honest, is a protest to a known incident of a close colleague who unfortunately resorted to taking her life when she knew she would not be accepted back into her family after a divorce option. The husband was a batterer and her close relatives would only tell her 'Shinga ndozvinoita imba'. The tragic end has probed us to think from another perspective which is zero tolerance to Gender Based Violence.”
The star-studded cast for Shinga Ndozvinoita Imba includes established and recently capped Elysium Magna Dance Theatre artists Charles Indi, Fadzai Chero, Praise Munetsi, Nicole, Stix Dombotsvuku, Samantha Chandiwana, who acted as Nehanda in Nehanda Nyakasikana, and Pride Mbudzana.
Elysium Magna Dance Theatre has in the past produced masterpieces like Nehanda Nyakasikana and Mary Queen of Heaven, among others.
The group’s consistency has led them to launching their first ever Africa International Festival of All Arts. The festival brought together prominent dance groups from various parts of Africa. lndi resolved that his Elysium Magna Dance Theatre shall in the future continue to comment on social issues.
“We have come of age and it has been a long way.We have reached that stage where our team designs and saw our costumes. A people's mental and physical wellbeing is our priority. Don't stay where you are not at peace,” he said.